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Selkowitz Technology | Seattle’s small business network and telecom consultant
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Looking for a new phone system for your small business? The good news is there’s more options than ever before…the bad news is you need to wade through more options than ever before. Here’s a few things to keep in mind.
VoIP, Traditional, or Hybrid?
This is a newer decision to make, to go with a traditional analog or digital system, or go with the new VoIP options. There’s no right answer for everyone, but keep in mind phone systems are a 5-10 year investment so you have to look forward a bit.
Hybrid systems make a lot of sense as no matter what the future holds, your system will continue to serve your needs.
Value For Money
Its not just about the up front cost - can it save you money or can it make you money? For example on saving money, things like long distance VoIP lines or autoattendants instead of a dedicated receptionist can save serious money over the years. Phone systems can make you more money too - by keeping sales staff in touch in the field and keeping callers queued during times of heavy call load.
Of course not every phone system can do these things - so ask vendors how their system can deliver more value to your business.
Ease of Maintenance
Up front phone system install costs don’t vary too much. The question is what happens from there? If you need a change, does that mean a technician comes out and bills you a trip fee and service minimum? Does the phone vendor want an annual service agreement? Or can you make changes yourself with a point and click interface?
Scalability and Flexibility
Businesses move, grow, and change - its nice to know your phone system will adapt. Make sure you know how much your system can grow and make sure that’s big enough for the next five years. It never hurts to ask about the moving process, wiring specifics, etc.
Features
System features is a tough item for the customer to really know. Does the system do attended transfers, direct transfers, or either - and which fits the customer better? Every system says they’re on hold capable - but does that mean you just load a music file on the phone system, or does that mean you need to buy a separate device to play music? If you transfer a call out to an external number, does it take zero, one, or two lines? The list goes on and on…
Staying Current
Like your business’s needs, phone systems are constantly changing by upgrading software. Do those changes cost you money? Do those changes need a technician to install? Or are they free downloads with an automated process?
Find a System and Tech You Can Trust
Bottom line is you can spend months researching all the issues of models and interviewing technicians and consultants. Ultimately I have a few tips - find a well established system which shows growth in capabilities and market, check the 3rd party reviews/awards, and find a technician/consultant that you trust - they’ll make the process easier.
The Author: Kevin Selkowitz
About: Kevin Selkowitz is the founder and lead consultant for Selkowitz Technology, a Seattle-area small business systems consulting company. We focus on the four major technology needs of small businesses - phone systems, phone and internet service, servers/network infrastructure, and business applications.
This entry was posted by Kevin Selkowitz, on Sunday, February 24th, 2008 at 9:23 am and is filed under Phone Systems. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response on the right, or trackback from your own site.
